Lighting for still life photography of food and drinks: side and rear backlighting to create a smooth and transparent feel, reflectors to fill in the dark areas and capture steam heat

1. The soul light of food photography: Why must we use "side and rear backlighting"?

When photographing food, do not light it from the front of the camera (smooth lighting from the top of the camera will make the food white, bland, and lose all appetite):

1. Specular Highlight creates a fresh and oily texture:

• Delicious steak gravy, the shine of freshly baked bread, the slightly moist sheen on the surface of sushi fish;
• Only when the light comes from behind or to the side of the subject (from 10 o'clock to 2 o'clock), the light will be directly reflected into the lens directly in front of the lens according to the law that the incident angle is equal to the reflection angle when the light hits the surface of oil and water;
• Outlines the crystal clear high-gloss reflection on the surface of food, instantly awakening the human brain's original taste desire for "fresh and juicy"!

2. Edge translucency (Translucency):

• Backlight can directly penetrate sashimi, orange pulp, hot soup and vegetable leaves, showing a clear and bright translucent jelly texture.

2. Classic gourmet double light source golden layout (One Light + Reflector)

Professional lighting can be accomplished with just one lamp or window:

1. Main light source (135° side, rear and upper backlight):

• Set up a constant light with a soft light box at an angle of 45 degrees above and behind the dining table (or directly use the bright side and rear windows);

2. Fill light in the dark area directly in front (white foam reflector):

• After backlighting, the side of the food facing the camera must be in shadow;
• Place a piece of white reflective foam board or silver cardboard on the dining table just below the camera; the light from behind will gently bounce back to the front of the food, filling in the dark parts and showing the original bright colors of the ingredients;

3. Light ratio controlled at 3:1:

• Keep front shadows 1 to 1.5 stops darker than highlights to preserve rich three-dimensional shading.

3. Black background contrast rules for rising steam and hot air capture

How to capture the billowing white mist of a steaming bowl of ramen?

1. The background must use dark light-absorbing material:

• The white heat is completely invisible on the white background; dark gray, black light-absorbing cloth or dark wood grain background board must be hung behind;

2. Backlight hard light accurately illuminates smoke particles:

• Hot gas is composed of countless tiny condensed water droplets. Only strong direct backlight can produce strong Mie Scattering to make the water droplets shine;

3. Shutter speed can be selected from 1/125s~1/250s:

• If the shutter speed is too fast (1/1000s), the smoke will freeze into hard particles; if the shutter speed is too slow (1/10s), the smoke will turn into a white mist; 1/160 seconds is just enough to preserve the beautiful filamentous shape of the rising steam.

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